Armenians in northern Syria establish armed force
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – On the anniversary of the Armenian genocide, a group of Armenians in northern Syria announced the formation of a special brigade, saying “the children of genocide started to defend themselves.”
“As children of the Armenian people, who were massacred and exiled in the genocide, today we came together to defend Rojava against fascist attacks by ISIS and the Turkish state,” read a statement from the newly-established brigade, reported a local outlet Firat News Agency (ANF).
This year is the 104th anniversary of the deaths of 1.5 million mostly Christian Armenians under Ottoman rule. It is recognized as genocide by some nations – including France which this year held its first national day to commemorate the event – but not universally. Turkey acknowledges many Armenians died, but fiercely denies it was genocide.
Some Armenians fleeing the genocide settled in northern Syria, known to Kurds as Rojava. Christians in northern Syria have called on the global community to ensure the safety of the region and prevent the threat of a revived Islamic State (ISIS) or an offensive by Turkey, which wants to establish and control a safe zone along its border with Syria. Turkey considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the armed forces of Rojava, a terror organization.
“Based on the idea that a people have nothing if they don’t have an army, we formed a humble brigade to defend the Armenian people and all peoples of Rojava,” read the statement from the newly formed Martyr Nubar Ozanyan Armenian Brigade.
Nubar Oznyan, born in 1956, was an Armenian revolutionary who led the Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist (TKP/ML), founded in 1972, and fought against the Turkish state. He joined the YPG and was killed fighting ISIS in Raqqa in 2017.
Turkish media has already dubbed the Armenian brigade a “terror organization.”
April 24 is a public holiday in Armenia – Armenian Genocide Day. In Yerevan, they held a torchlight procession and a ceremony at the Tsitsernakaberd memorial.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to the General Vicar of the Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, Aram Atesyan, on the day.
“I remember with respect the Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives under harsh conditions of the First World War and offer my sincere condolences to their grandchildren,” read the letter.
Speaking at an event in Ankara, he took a dig at France’s decision to formally mark the day. “We see that those who attempt to lecture us on democracy and human rights over the Armenian issue themselves have a bloody past,” he said. Erdogan has accused France of playing a role in the Rwandan genocide.
In Istanbul, about 100 people tried to hold a ceremony to commemorate the mass killings of Armenians, but were blocked by police, AFP reported.